Bettina Rheims, b. 1952

Bettina Rheims's inspiration for the Chambre Close series came from writer Serge Bramly.  He invented the story of 'Monsieur X', a voyeur who, passing himself off as a photographer, approaches young women in the street and asks them to pose for him.  The photographs are set in small hotels in Paris, where the shabby furniture and worn bedspreads contrast sharply with the fresh-faced youth of the models, all of whom were posing for the first time.